Love Hina: Boys' Night Out?
by BetweenheavenandHell
Summary: It seemed like a good idea at the time, what was the worst that could have happened?
1. Chapter 1: The Idea

**Love Hina: Boys' Night Out?**

Chapter One: The Idea

Nearly six months have passed since the events that changed the Sagura family forever.

Such things would long be remembered after the individuals had turned to dust and their own children and grandchildren had passed the tale of the following events on to their own offspring, along with their own tales of woe, heartache and hope.

But such things are stories for another time, and they have no bearing on this tale.

* * *

Motoko Aoyama, blademaster, nineteen years of age and heiress to the _Gods Cry_ school of swordsmanship, was bored.

No, perhaps extremely bored would have suited her current mood better, or hair tearing-ly, blood pressure rising bored. Yes, that sounded about right, and she knew all to well the source of her irritation.

Koichi Sagura.

Their wedding day was rapidly approaching and he was nowhere to be found.

After nearly two months without seeing her fiancé she had developed a new level of respect for the co-manager of the Hinata Sou, wondering how the brown haired woman had stayed sane during Keitaro's absence.

She had understood why he and Kyoko, his eerily quiet younger sister had returned to their family grounds.

The big idiot had been dodging envoys from his Clan's elders for the past four months, entreating him to return and settle the affairs that would normally be taken care of by the head of the family, a duty which fell to him by default now that…

Motoko gripped the rail that surrounded the laundry nexus a little tighter.

Even during the four months that had passed before he left, he still refused to talk about the impact of his Father's death though she knew that Kyoko had cried herself to sleep on Shinobu's shoulder any number of nights, and the younger girl was by far the more stoic of the Sagura siblings.

She scowled, making a promise to beat it out of him when he returned. Below the surface her subconscious regarded her mental ranting with a great deal of amusement. It knew the real reason she was irritable was because Koichi had basically barred her from accompanying him, no matter what she protested or threatened.

He had explained that it was a Clan specific matter that was delicate enough as it was with various factions suggesting that perhaps the Sagura family needed to be removed from power after various versions of how and why his Father had died began to circulate, without him showing up with the head of another school in the middle of a temporary power vacuum.

He had promised to go, sort things out and come back.

That had been two months ago and she hadn't received so much as a letter.

Even Keitaro had managed to write.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. To make matters worse, Kyoko had returned a few days ago, having returned to celebrate Shinobu's birthday, the party for which was being set up without her while she brooded.

She had asked Kyoko about her, in her own words, _"Good for nothing brother"_, to which the younger woman had replied that he was well, and no he hadn't given her anything to pass along, all the while seeming to address a certain blue haired girl rather than the person asking her.

Motoko had grit her teeth and thanked her soon to be sister-in-law despite it being doubtful she had heard her, even forcing a smile for effect that was probably wasted.

She heard laughter, and glanced down at the courtyard to see Kitsune dragging a despondent looking Kentaro behind her as he complained about how he always experienced a terrible shooting pain in his wallet when she laughed like that.

This only seemed to fuel the fox girl's sense of humour as she teased, pouted and prodded to get him moving under his own power.

Everything changed eventually. She could still remember the days of the great Keitaro hunt and before, back when the thought of her sulking because of a man would have caused her to laugh in your face assuming she didn't take offence and send the speaker flying first.

"Koichi no baka…"

"Myu?", something green flew up in front of her vision, obscuring the scene before her as Kitsune whispered something in her boyfriend's ear that suddenly had him standing straighter and walking faster.

She leant back a little to take in the full scope of that blocked her sight, "Huh?"

"Myu!", Tama waved one flipper at her favourite of the tenants brightly, seeming for a brief second to be the turtle incarnation of her previous owner.

"Turtle!", Motoko screamed, her legs catching on each other as she tried to back pedal, sending her crashing to her rear with a startled yelp as the cause of her perturbation looked on with the same innocent confusion as always.

Some things always stayed the same.

Motoko hugged her light jacket tighter around herself as she backed away on hands and knees, shivering but not because of the cool late winter air, and wishing she had her blade with her, or even the _Sword of Two Souls._ Even if it was no longer any use as a sword it was still a bar of heavy steel she could wield against the shelled menace.

"Stay back, I'm warning you!"

"Myu?"

"Don't worry, I got her!", and exuberant voice yelled, followed by a blur of blond as Su vaulted over the edge of the roof, a smaller version of the net launcher she had once tried to use on Koichi in hand and a wide grin offsetting the permanent blush marks that stained her cheeks.

Motoko had long since given up wondering how Su managed to show up wherever there was anything even remotely interesting happening, especially seen as how it was impossible to stop her from doing so, and it was occasionally beneficial.

"We meet again, for the last time my old nemesis", Su declared like the villain from one of the early morning cartoon shows she still watched, "Prepare to be food, I- Hey! No fair, cheating!".

The turtle had apparently decided that Su's growing monologue was the perfect time to duck out of sight and had done just that, gliding away from the building, perhaps planning to hide out with her former owner at the teahouse.

Motoko grabbed the back of Su's collar in time to prevent her from leaping over the railing after Tama. She did not doubt Su would survive the fall, but she wasn't entirely sure the teahouse would survive Su.

"The enemy is escaping!", Su pouted and crossed her arms where she hung, but making no attempt to brake free.

"Trust me, as much as I would like to see that…turtle", even saying the word made her skin crawl, "gone, I think it would be better if you help Kyoko, Haruka, Naru and Sara.

Considering that Haruka and Seta had return for a brief visit along with Sara, Motoko was surprised to find that the blond haired duo weren't up to their usual tricks.

"Sara went into town with Seta", Su said, sounding slightly disappointed, "She wanted to help him with all the stuff Haruka told him to buy, Keitaro went with them as well".

"So why aren't you helping?", Motoko asked, ignoring the sly look the other girl gave her which reminded her of the hypocrisy of that question.

Su shrugged, "Shinobu said not to worry, Naru and Haruka have everything in hand, so Kyoko asked me to keep an eye on you".

Motoko smiled. The dark haired Sagura girl might not seem it, but she held great affection for those dear to her, and worried more than she ever let on.

"Speaking of which, where is the birthday girl?", she asked, deciding that she should probably try to get into the spirit of things.

"Kyoko told her she had left her a present in her room", Motoko shook her head at the expression Su pulled as she said that. Somewhere between suggestive and lecherous it made Motoko wonder if Su suffered from some sort of bleed through from a past life, one in which she had been male.

"Shinobu went to get it and a little while later Kyoko vanished as well, so I went to do a little reconnaissance", she grinned when Motoko interrupted her by informing her the correct word would be _'Spying'_, in this case, but carried on undaunted, "But then I heard you shouting and came to see what was going on".

Motoko dropped her, Su landing effortlessly and latching onto her arm, "Come on, lets go play!".

"No, we are going to help Naru and Haruka, they are probably wondering what happened to all their helpers", she spoke firmly which had no visible affect on Su's cheeriness as she dragged Motoko along like it had been her idea rather than the other way around.

The raven-haired girl sighed; it was going to be an interesting day.

* * *

Kitsune froze for a moment, the reality of the situation taking a moment to filter in. When it finally did the first thing that happened was that she smiled. Not a normal upturning of the lips, but a wide, idiotic kind of grin that always preceded that which happened next.

She laughed, loud and clear, her efforts redoubling as she saw the slightly confused expression on the person before her as he ran a hand through unruly ebony locks self-consciously.

"This is too good", she giggled, thinking of some of the conversations she had had in the past few months, "Motoko is going to freak".

The recipient of her humour hung his head grimly while Kitsune continued to laugh unabated.

* * *

"How's that?", Motoko called out.

As the tallest of the women present, she had been called upon to hang some of the higher decorations while the others judged and directed her efforts.

She suppressed a glare as Haruka and Naru conferred for moment while her arms began to ache from being held in their current position too long.

Before they could reach a verdict however, they were interrupted when the front door all but slammed open and a grinning Kitsune sauntered in, hands clasped behind her back in an attempt to appear innocent that never worked.

Motoko lowered the decoration she held, eying the other woman as she moved to stand just a little to the side of the door but didn't close it.

"Back already?", Haruka asked around her omni-present cigarette, already bored of the pregnant silence that had descended over the room. She had never really been a fan of dramatics, "Did you get everything?".

The nearest store that stocked the liquors on Kitsune's list were a minimum of fifteen minutes away. The fox girl had been gone five at the most.

"Not quite", she smiled mysteriously, causing Haruka to sigh, knowing that this probably meant a headache in someone's future, probably hers.

Motoko noticed Su's nose twitching as the younger girl watched the door with an odd intensity, even for her, her whole body practically vibrating where she sat on the back of the couch.

"What is everyone doing?", a quiet voice asked, drawing their attention to the stairwell on which stood Shinobu and Kyoko, the former of the two blushing faintly.

Her colour deepened when she saw Kitsune wink at her knowingly and Su let out a cry of, "Ha! I knew it, I knew it!".

Kyoko placed one hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, her subzero gaze causing Kitsune to suddenly develop an intense interest in the doorframe, and even silenced Su though it did nothing about her face splitting smile.

Shinobu smiled gratefully over her shoulder at the other girl, which instantly softened her features.

Haruka raised a questioning eyebrow, but no one seemed eager to offer up any information. Naru only offered a weak smile. The recent change in…tastes, of their youngest tenant was not something Haruka had heard of yet having only arrived the previous evening, and right that second didn't seem the time to explain it.

It had taken Naru a while to get her head around the idea herself.

"Anyway", Kitsune coughed, breaking the tense atmosphere, "Guess what I found?"

She sighed at the sea of blank faces before her. Why were they never interesting anymore? All she wanted was a little show, was that so much to ask?

Striking a pose she gestured toward the open door, "Making his return debut to the Hinata house, a recent favourite…".

She paused, gauging their reactions. They all seemed a little more interested now, especially Motoko whose face was changing from one of mild annoyance to understanding.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Koichi Sagura!".

The dark haired nineteen year old stepped around the door and into view, his one hand resting casually in his trouser pocket while the other was up by his shoulder holding his duffle bag.

"Yo", he waved, adjusting the neck of his black polo-neck sweater when no one replied for a moment.

His eyes scanned the crowd, and he offered each of his friends a smile in turn, pausing uncertainly when he caught sight of a middle aged woman with short, dark brown hair, a cigarette clasped loosely in her lips, who starred back indifferently.

He moved on, he could ask about her later, but right now…

He finally spotted her, standing at the back of the crowd; Motoko was looking at him like she had seen a ghost.

Su was the first to react.

"Koi-kun's back!", she was moving before she spoke, launching herself off the back of the sofa and glomping him as soon as he was within range.

Had he never met the hyperactive MolMolian before he would have been knocked flat. As it was it still took a great deal of effort to remain upright as she began moving around him as if searching for something.

"What did ya bring me?", she said, hands digging through his pockets before he could respond but finding nothing.

Slightly disappointed by the lack of forthcoming gifts she eventually settled for clinging to his back, arms wrapped around his neck happily humming to herself.

Koichi smiled. It was good to be home.

The others gave their greetings more calmly. A simple, "Welcome back Koichi-san", from Shinobu, and something similar from Naru and the woman introduced as Haruka, the landlord's aunt, although he got the impression she didn't like the title in itself very much and decided to steer clear of any aunt jokes until he had a better handle on her.

She reminded him scarily of Narusegawa and Motoko for reasons he couldn't place.

He and Kyoko's greetings were probably the shortest of the whole group.

"Oni-san"

"Brat"

Followed by a brief smile from both of them that would have left anyone who didn't know them thinking they were estranged siblings.

Finally came Motoko.

The others watched silently as she walked over to him, never breaking eye contact.

"Hey Motoko-chan, good to-" he was cut off when her fist connected with his stomach, forcing the air from his lungs.

"Jerk", she spat, cursing the fact that despite everything she couldn't make herself glare at him instead of smile. She was happy he was back.

"Awwww…I love…you too", he wheezed with a lopsided grin.

He wondered briefly why Haruka gave Naru and amused smile that made the other woman laugh lightly behind her hand, but decided to dismiss it.

Motoko resisted the urge to hug him. That would send the wrong message right now, despite how much she wanted to.

"Two months. Two months with no contact from you at all", she said, crossing her arms beneath her bust.

He frowned at her, "What do you mean? I sent a letter back with Kyoko…".

He turned a glare up at his sister, "Hey brat, what did you do with my letter?".

Kyoko starred back evenly, "I must have forgotten about it. I apologise Oni-san".

"To busy making out with your girlfriend?", he teased.

"Maybe"

"Kyoko-chan!", Shinobu had turned the same colour as the sleeves of her latest Cabot dress, pink and red in design.

"Erm… right…", Koichi finished lamely, unable to think of a comeback. The whole situation with his sister was still slightly surreal to him, and it hadn't gone over well with a number of the older Clan members either.

A loud crash from outside saved him from the assault he saw being calculated in Kyoko's sea grey eyes.

"That will be Seta and Keitaro", Haruka announced as if anyone apart from Koichi and Kyoko had any doubts.

Moments later the two men in question staggered in followed by a shaken but otherwise fine Sara.

"What did I tell you part-timer!", the taller of the pair, a man who looked eerily like like Keitaro's older clone, exclaimed enthusiastically, "I told you that ramp was a shortcut. Who's crazy now?".

"That wasn't a ramp, that was the scaffolding they were putting up to repair the damage from the last time you went through there! And I still think your crazy!", Keitaro shouted.

"Hi, what's everyone doing?", Seta asked, leaving his young protégée to weep silently to himself as he was once more ignored by his mentor.

Keitaro looked up, spotting Koichi with Su hanging on his neck, "Koichi-san? Oh, welcome back, no one told me you were coming, but then again I suppose you had to show up soon right?".

"Koichi?", Seta said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "This is the boy you were telling me about part-timer?".

Koichi frowned as Seta began rubbing his hands together when Keitaro nodded, smiling as he advanced on the younger man.

"Keitaro has told me a lot about you young man, we have much to discuss", he helped pry Su off Koichi before grabbing both him and Keitaro and moving them bodily out of the house.

"I sorry, I'll fill you in on what happened when I get back", Koichi promised Motoko before his purchase on the doorframe slipped and he was gone with a surprised yelp.

"That big idiot is up to something", Haruka muttered, rubbing her temples.

The headache was beginning to form, and if she knew her husband, it was only going to get worse.

* * *

"Ok, now that we managed to get away from the womenfolk for a little while, lets get down to business", Seta said, resting his arms on the table they sat around in one corner of the teahouse.

"Who's 'we'", Koichi groused, still annoyed that he had been dragged away from Motoko before he could even say hello properly.

"Now, now, lets not be grumpy", Seta held up a finger, "After all, this is all for your benefit, hehe, right part-timer?".

Keitaro nodded, having already been told the basics of what his mentor was about to propose. It sounded harmless enough, and should prove interesting if nothing else.

Koichi shifted in his chair, he didn't feel very reassured at that moment. That laugh had been almost sinister.

"Whatever", he said, feigning indifference.

"Excellent", Seta, leaned back in his chair, "Now my boy, what do you know about Stag Nights?".

Koichi quirked an eyebrow, "Some western tradition or other right? Group of guys attempt to get an engaged man into as much trouble as possible before his wedding, usually while completely drunk".

He folded his arms. He had no intention of doing anything that would jeopardise his relationship with Motoko; he had worked to hard and waited to long to throw all that away in one night of drunken idiocy.

"No, no, no", Seta said, shaking his head as if disappointed, "You have it all wrong my boy. A true Stag Night is a celebration! A glorious party that marks the turning point in a young man's life when he finally takes a wife. It's a tribute, a noble and ancient tradition of the west and indeed there are similar ceremonies here, but none quiet so fun".

Koichi shifted again. Put that way it didn't sound so bad.

"I don't know…"

"Please son", Seta said, his face serious, "Let us honour you in our own way, and together we will usher in your union".

Koichi scratched at the back of his head absently while Keitaro was looking at his teacher as if he had never seen him before.

Not a man known to deliberate over a choice before making it, Koichi chose.

"Sure, why not", he crossed his arms behind his head, and chuckled lightly, "I mean, what's the worst that could happen, right?".

* * *

---Author Notes---

Hey boys and girls, welcome once more to the Blademasters universe, we've begun the final leg of the journey thus far, and though this will only be a short fic (3 chapters max), I hope you enjoy the final installation of this generation. R and R people.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	2. Chapter 2: The Plan and beyond

Chapter Two: The Plan and Beyond

"_What's the worst that could happen…"_

Koichi would look back on those words and kick himself for uttering something that idiotically ominous. He should have known that nothing in his life ever went smoothly at the best of times, and would be left to wonder if his self preservation instinct had finally abandoned him for good when he agreed to Seta's plan.

The night of Shinobu's party the three men had been suspiciously light drinkers, something that had not gone unnoticed by their significant others, but had been hopefully misinterpreted by the three women as the delayed signs of their partners maturity beginning to assert itself.

They were wrong.

Seta had told his fellow conspirators, that there would be no heavy drinking between now and 'The Event', some three days hence, so as to ensure the maximum efficiency on behalf of the revellers.

Koichi had assumed he meant so they would be able to fully enjoy the evening with their faculties intact and unhindered by the dragging effects of a hangover.

What Seta had actually meant was so that their bodies had a lower tolerance for when the evening actually rolled around.

Everyone had gone to bed that night happy and thinking pleasant thoughts about the times that awaited them.

* * *

From where he sat on the living room's largest couch, Koichi contemplated the evening ahead. 

For the past three days, Seta had been a blur of organisation, moving from location to location with a level of stealth that most government agencies would envy, that was if they had been able to catch wind of his movements.

When asked what all the secrecy was about, the older man had simply flashed him the victory sign and ensured him it was all for the greater good.

Koichi frowned a little as he recalled the archaeologist's other response when pressed as to why _he_ at least couldn't know what was going on if it was all to do ultimately with celebrating his marriage.

He had been told he was a security risk, to which he had objected only to be forestalled by the other man, who had simply said, _"You've met my wife, right?"_.

Even now Koichi still couldn't figure out why that had made him suddenly feel so very cold, or why he had simultaneously imagined Haruka, Naru and Motoko standing over the trio, with death in their eyes.

Whatever the cause, that statement had been enough to silence him, and when cornered by Haruka regarding the actions of her spouse he was glad to be in the dark. It was hard to believe that any one woman could be scarier than Tsuruko and the Demon Lord he had battled some months ago combined. Motoko had her moments but that…

Koichi was beginning to wonder if there was anything wrong with the heating system in the Hinata House.

_Knock knock_.

The gentle rapping broke him out of his musings as he looked around to see if anyone else was heading toward the door.

He ducked a little as Keitaro walked down the stairs to see if anyone else had heard anything, meaning that the manager was the one who would have to answer, thus allowing Koichi to remain in the spot he had spent the past several minutes warming.

He grinned slyly as he watched the other man walk toward the door, partially concealed by the back of the sofa.

As it turned out this would also be the perfect viewpoint from which to watch an interesting show.

"Yes? Who is-" was as far as the dorm manger seemed to get before he actually processed who was standing in front of him.

Of all the possible reactions to the person Koichi could just about make out from his angle, that the dark haired ronin would have, the following hadn't even made the list.

His eyes widened, his nostrils flared in time with his rapidly beetling eyebrows. It was the face of a man who knew true fear.

"Kanako!", he yelled so loud the whole dorm must surely of heard his cry.

Koichi rested his arms comfortably on the back of the couch, watching bemused as the manager tried to back-pedal faster that his legs would allow, resulting in a strange chain of events, or rather collisions, which left him prone and twitching before the dark haired young woman who had caused the initial reaction.

_That was…interesting_, he thought with a sardonic grin.

His second shock came when the girl spoke.

"Oni-chan!", she was at his side instantly, nursing his injuries with a level of attention that didn't quite fit the title she had just used or the implied relationship.

Koichi looked her over briefly. About the same height as Narusegawa, though not quite as generously proportioned, she was still fairly cute, and Koichi instantly found a kindred spirit in her dress sense.

An ankle length black and red coat with shoulder pads was worn over a black full length dress that seemed to sway in a way suggesting it was slit partially on one side, and high sturdy combat boots.

All of this was capped off with a thick red ribbon that held back thick black hair that fell to her waist in a single ponytail, and a single piece of hair that stood up like a solitary antenna.

However there was a paleness to her features, much like Motoko's and a slenderness of the eyes that meant he never would have guessed her as being the landlord's sibling without being told.

"What's going on, I heard….Kanako!", Koichi winced, Narusegawa's vocal volume had surpassed Keitaro's by a few decibels. Was everyone who met this girl going to scream like that? Was she hard of hearing or something?

"Just…What…Are…You…Two…Doing?", Naru's fist was clenched and Koichi was worried to note that the vein on her temple was slowly creeping to the surface.

Wondering what had made the older woman so upset, he looked back at the supposed brother/sister duo, to find the girl seemed to be using Keitaro's semi-delirious state as a chance to paw him rather than help him.

The grey-eyed boy sweat dropped. Surely these two weren't actually related, siblings didn't act that way. Perhaps she was an old friend who was overly close to the other man.

Memories of Sakura surfaced and he carefully pushed them back to the darkened corners from whence they came.

If this Kanako was anything like Sakura at her worst, he had nothing but sympathy for the poor guy.

"He fell over, I was just helping", the smaller of the two woman replied to Naru's accusation calmly, but not entirely releasing her 'prize'.

Koichi blinked.

He was sure he had just heard Narusegawa mutter something along the lines of _"Brother loving little hussy…"_.

Luckily his ego-defences suppressed the memory. Ignorance is bliss after all.

His head pillowed in his 'sister's' lap, Keitaro chose that moment to come around, just as the sparks looked set to fly between the two women.

Unaware of what had happened or where he was at that precise moment, Keitaro snuggled into the warmth he felt himself cushioned by, drowsily making a rather unfortunate assumption as to where he was.

"O-Oni-chan?", Kanako's blush stood out well in contrast to her face.

"Huh?", Keitaro's eyes and mind finally adjusted to his waking position, a low growl coming from nearby even as his eyes began to bulge.

"Naru, I didn't! This isn't-", was all he managed to get out, sitting up in time to take a foot to the side of the head that left him flattened upside down against the far wall.

"Creep!", Naru said between angry pants.

"Oni-chan!", that seemed to be this girl's favourite word as she turned a positively chilling look upon the brown haired woman, "What did you do that for Naru!"

Koichi quirked and eyebrow. That was a rather friendly term for two women he'd assumed didn't like each other.

The dark haired boy could only watch as they began a shouting match, listing past events and conversations he was not familiar with, but which left him very concerned as to how family matters were run in the Urashima household if half the things Naru was shouting about ropes, plots and seduction attempts on behalf of the other girl were true.

He immediately felt guilty as he found himself wondering if there was any popcorn in the kitchen.

"Hey, hey, what's all the shouting about?", asked an irritated voice as Kitsune dragged herself down the stairs yawning widely and attempting to rake her sandy brown hair into it's ponytail with her fingers.

She paused, catching sight of who was arguing, and Koichi readied himself to cover his ears, but it seemed the fox girl had decided it was to early for whatever was happening and contented herself with nodding in Kanako's direction before shuffling in the direction of the kitchen.

As soon as she was gone he saw Motoko's head peek cautiously around the edge of the doorframe to the kitchen, and wondered why she paled a little seeing their visitor before reluctantly stepping out into view.

"Motoko"

"Kanako"

Koichi was curious about the odd tension he was picking up on, but at least no one had felt the need to shout the other's name.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any, he rolled off the couch and stood.

Motoko cast a side long glance at him with a small smile, while Kanako spun and struck a fighting stance that left him taken aback for a moment.

He didn't recognise the style but he could see the skill the older girl possessed, and knew to have bothered striking a stance she had read him the moment she had spotted him.

Couple that with Motoko's reactions and it made for some very interesting conclusions.

He wondered how good a fighter she was, but something in Motoko's eyes told him not to push the question right then and there.

"Yo", he waved casually, adopting an none threatening posture, "Koichi Sagura".

"Kanako Urashima", so she really was his sister?

_But that would mean…_ years later Koichi would wonder why so many hours of this day were missing.

She lowered her guard when no one seemed surprised to find him there, just in time for Shinobu and Kyoko to venture forth from the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.

"Kanako-san", Shinobu squeaked, her unintentional outburst causing Kyoko to take a half step in front of her.

"Shinobu", the dark haired girl replied with a faint smile that seemed to put Kyoko more on edge.

"Kyoko Sagura, a pleasure to meet you", she announced formally, bowing slightly, her tone anything but friendly as she took in the situation.

"Kanako Urashima", she repeated, their eyes locked.

The gathered audience looked on uncertainly. It was almost like watching a battle of wills between two icebergs as light brown clashed with sea grey.

Finally the contest ended when both women offered each other a ghost of a smile, nodding faintly while the rest of the room was left to wonder what had just happened.

"Everyone, plus two new faces…no, not everyone", Kanako announced, her eyes scanning the room until they stopped on a large pot plant that decorated one corner of the room.

She walked over to the plant with amazingly quiet steps considering her footwear, her hand flashing between the leaves and hauling something out. Something blond, with a wide, infectious grin and vibrant green eyes.

"Hello Su"

"Hey Kanako, long time no sees, did ya bring me anything?"

"No, sorry", the other girl replied in a deadpan tone that didn't seem to bother Su as she released her.

"Awww, why does no one ever bring me anything when they go off and have fun?", Su whined, hoping onto the back of the couch and crossing her arms.

"I wouldn't exactly call my training with grandmother, fun", Kanko winced a little. For someone so frail looking the old woman was a stern taskmaster and seemed to have a limitless supply of energy and cheer no matter the situation.

"So Kanako, why are you here?", Naru asked, confusing Koichi with her companionable tone after the shout match that had occurred moments earlier.

It was annoying to be out of the loop in cases like this.

"Is granny coming back for a while?", Keitaro asked, amazingly mark free considering his rather forceful introduction to the wall mere minutes ago. One day Koichi would have to ask him his secret. It might be a family thing if it was related to the training Kanako had mentioned, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

The pale girl shook her head softly, once more her demeanour shifting as she addressed him.

Spotting his worried expression, Motoko sidled over to him while the siblings chatted with the other residents over the purpose of Kanako's visit, which as it turned out was simply the employment of some leisure time her grandmother had granted her.

"Well, they certainly seem…close", Koichi chose his words carefully when Motoko reached him, pitching his voice so only she could hear.

Motoko gave him a strained grin, "Yes…very close considering they aren't related by blood".

"Adopted? Which one?".

"Kanako", Motoko proceeded to fill him in on the basics of the brother/sister's relationship, and some of the highlights of Kanako's last visit, including her friendship/rivalry with Naru, while glazing over the details of the Great Keitaro Hunt amd her own first encounter with the mistress of disguise.

There were some things she didn't want to relive.

Koichi listened to the whole tale slightly slack jawed, occasionally stealing a glance at the pair at the centre of the stories.

He'd been wrong to compare her to Sakura. The violet haired girl had never done anything as extreme as the youngest Urashima, for which he was glad.

"Right", he coughed diplomatically, Motoko offering him an understanding look, "I suppose every family has its issues".

The day was just beginning.

* * *

8:00pm 

Koichi padded silently up to the laundry annex, crouched low as he scanned the area for any signs of life.

_Deserted, excellent_, he thought, moving low and fast over to the railing, hugging his heavy black jacket closed against the chill in the air.

With one final look around he vaulted the rail in a single move, free falling for a moment before catching hold of the drain pipe that ran down to the ground and using to guide and slow his momentum.

His feet touched down with a level of grace that most Shinobu would appreciate, and he smiled tightly in the dark before bolting to the first cover he could see, hoping that no one crossed the corridor behind him.

Once concealed he retraced his steps with his eyes, looking for any signs that he was being followed.

Nothing so far, but he better get moving before that changed rapidly.

As agreed all three men had left partially concealed notes dictating the reasons for their absence, and a brief explanation of why the women hadn't been informed beforehand drafted carefully by Seta himself.

With any luck the women would accept the outing even if they didn't agree with it, and if they didn't…well, there was no way to trace the three men based on the letters and they would hopefully be long gone before a search party could form.

Koichi felt a little guilty for doing this, but the promise of fun and excitement was enough for him to quell his inner voice of reason, as he stole carefully through the trees before venturing out onto the steps of the Hinata Sou.

He paused as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

This wasn't right, there was no one there. Koichi's eyes narrowed.

The fist aimed for his head sailed past harmlessly as he ducked under another, intercepting a kick with his own and backing off, his guard up and ready.

"Not bad my boy", Seta grinned, taking out a cigarette and lighting up as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell was that about?", Koichi demanded.

"Hmmm? Oh, had to be sure that was really you", Seta explained casually, motioning to someone hidden in the bushes that it was safe to emerge.

"Really me? Who else was it going to be!".

"Ok, now that everyone is here and the time is upon us, let me reveal the plan", Seta announced dramatically as if Koichi hadn't spoken, "Part-timer, the map if you will".

Keitaro nodded weakly, hauling a heavy looking whiteboard out of concealment with a map of Hinata pinned to it.

"Listen up troops", Seta said, pacing back and forth in front of the board, a pointer trapped under one arm.

"With the help pf my colleges here", he nodded to two of the men who had appeared without Koichi noticing, a pair he vaguely remembered being introduced to once.

"It was a pleasure sir", Haitani said with a sloppy salute.

"And we had help", Shirai added, ignoring his friend's baleful stare as he indicated the scrawny looking bleach blond boy standing between them indifferently, "Right Kino? We were lucky to find someone who knows the town so well".

The boy in question just nodded.

"Yes, we have a number of targets mapped out, here, here and here", Seta's pointer struck a number of red circles marked on the paper, "I goes without saying that I will be leading this expedition, the part-timer will be my second in command and our scouting trio will act as guides".

Koichi nodded along with the explanation, "Ok, I get all that, but what about her?".

All eyes turned to the Okinawain woman standing just behind Haitani and company.

"Hi boys", she waved cheerily, "Sorry I'm late, but I forgot what time we were supposed to be here".

"That's ok Mutsumi", Haitani almost tripped over himself turning to greet her, "We're all just glad you could make it".

"You invited her? I thought Seta said this was a guys only thing", Koichi questioned.

"Don't worry about it", Seta waved off his concerns.

"Besides, Mu-chan can probably drink all of us under the table, right?", he said, referring to the brown haired beauty's almost legendary tolerance for alcohol. Something that made her one of Kitsune's favourite drinking partners.

"Ara", Mutsumi blushed slightly, holding a hand to her cheek having apparently taken that as a compliment.

"I don't know about this", Keitaro said, unknowingly feeling the same sense of foreboding about the developing situation as his young friend.

"Fine, fine you two", Seta shrugged, smirking as if he knew something they didn't, "But one of you two has to tell her".

Koichi nodded. This would be for the best he reasoned, turning to tell Mutsumi the bad news.

"Does this mean I don't get to come with you boys?", Koichi froze. With one finger placed against her lips, and big sorrowful eyes, saying no suddenly felt akin to being asked to drown a sack full of kittens.

"Well, um…you see, the thing is…", her eyes widened slightly, taking on the simmering look that can only be the result of suppressed tears.

Two sacks and a round of puppy baseball.

He looked for support, but found none.

Steeling his resolve, Koichi gave his answer.

* * *

"Where to next!", Mutsumi exclaimed happily. 

Koichi sighed as he watched Haitani and Shirai struggle to hold her upright as she almost toppled into the path of an oncoming truck, giggling, oblivious to the danger as she said something to them he couldn't make out that left both of them blushing and scratching the back of their heads.

He hadn't been able to do it. He was no kitten killer.

Besides, watching Mutsumi drink was a sight in itself, even after having visited three different bars already, one of which he was sure was the one he had visited with Kitsune.

The girl drank like a fish, her refreshments measured in pitchers rather than glasses. He was amazed that she only seemed tipsy, her cheeks liberally flushed, while he, who had drunk a great deal less, was already feeling a little off balance, but hadn't yet begun to slur his words, though he to sported the reddened cheeks of the intoxicated.

Somewhere behind him Keitaro was being carried more or less, by Kino, the blond boy easily being the most sober of them at that moment having offered to do the duty surprisingly readily.

Peering back over his shoulder, Koichi could make out that though he was the lightest drinker, Kino had also imbued enough to achieve a light alcohol blush, or at least, Koichi thought that was why the young man was blushing as Keitaro half dozed on his narrow shoulder while they walked.

And trailing this drunken procession was their glorious leader, the man with the plan.

_Hey, that rhymes_, Koichi thought with a giggle as he staggered into a lamppost, rubbing his face and vowing revenge on the nonplussed inanimate object.

A little application of Ki allowed him to tear free part of a railing, which he waved threateningly at the lamppost that had dared to strike him and then ignore him.

"_Serpent's Strike!_", the snake shaped Ki wave, flowed sedately from the end of the pole he held, wavering back and forth before colliding with the lamppost with a dull _ring_ and dissipating, leaving its target with a small dent.

"Ha, teach you to trifle with the Lord of the _Oni's Bane _shoooooool", Koichi's brow furrowed as he tried several more times to pronounce the word unsuccessfully before giving up.

"Oi! Don't do anything rash", Seta called from his position at the rear of the group, trying to look as wise and dignified as a man can with a traffic cone tucked under his arm.

That cone was the reason they were searching for a new bar outside of the original area. The older man had 'liberated' it from its place outside their third stop, claiming it to be quite the find, something he had spent a few minutes conversing with the by then unconscious Keitaro about.

However having removed it, a car driven by a careless driver had misinterpreted the gap as a newly opened route and proceeded to drive straight into the hole the cones had ringed off.

No one had been hurt, but the group had decided that fleeing the scene was in their best interests.

"Ok, ok" Koichi griped like a disgruntled child, dropping his makeshift sword and trying to catch up to Mutsumi and the others who were waving from the top of the street as if they had found something.

"Oh ho, looks like we're back in business", Seta rubbed his hands together happily, the streetlights reflecting of his stylish glasses, "Bring the part-timer Kino-kun, there's work to be done yet".

The blond boy nodded wordlessly, adjusting Keitaro so that he could be carried easier and trying to match the pace of the older man.

* * *

By all rights, the paper in Naru's hand should have been ash given the look in her eyes as she finished reading the last sentence. 

She didn't even look up when the door to her and Keitaro's room slammed open and an angry Motoko stalked in, her already thin eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I take it you found the same thing", it was not a question but Naru nodded anyway, her knuckles cracking in preparation.

"He's not back more than a few days, and already he's sneaking off again without telling me", there was hurt below her anger but neither woman took any notice, "What are they up to?".

"If Keitaro's involved you can be sure it will be something stupid", she said, adding under her breath, "And probably perverted as well".

Naru stood abruptly stalking out of the room with a quick, "Follow me".

A plan was already forming in Naru's head as she took the stairs two at a time, but all her thoughts ground to a halt as she found what awaited them.

The living area was a mess of activity, people running back and forth, preparing things, donning coats, each person armed with one of Su's net launcher devices.

At the centre of all this activity, an unlit cigarette clasped at one corner of her mouth, was Haruka, looking like a general marshalling her forces, already dressed, but unarmed.

"Took you long enough", she said without looking at the two younger women as they carefully picked their way around the other girls.

"Haruka, what's going on?", Naru asked as Su shoved her coat in her direction.

"Simply put? We're going to find that big idiot before he does something those other boys are going to regret".

"What makes you so sure it was his idea", the other two asked, blinking as they realised they had spoken at the same time.

"Just a feeling", Haruka's voice was calm but there was a glint in her eye, "Plus I've seen the fallout of his little outings in the past".

Both younger women blanched at the way she said that, wondering if they were going after their fiancé's to capture them or to rescue them.

"Su?", Haruka asked.

"Koi-kun finder active ma'am", the excitable girl responded with a sharp salute.

"Good, now that everyone is…wait", Haruka did a quick headcount, "Where's Kanako?".

* * *

The receptionist of the Bella Donna, Hinata's only exclusive restaurant, had seen a lot of distinguished and extraordinary guests in his time. But none quite as unusual as the group gathered before him. 

He shook his head thinking that the image would vanish, but they stayed there.

Why were the young lady and her two escorts examining all of the ornamental vases like they were touring a museum? Why did the blond boy and the shorter of the pair with glasses appear to be hugging each other in his foyer?

And why, was the tallest gentleman holding a rather large traffic cone under one arm?

He braced himself as the final of the guests, a young man with sea grey eyes dressed almost exclusively in black, staggered over to him with a lopsided smile on his face.

"Seven please"

"Begging your pardon sir?", he enquired politely, pressing the button for security under his desk as he caught a whiff of the you man's breath.

"Seven people, we need a table", Koichi was amazed that he had never noticed how hard it was to talk and stand upright at the same time before.

"I'm afraid we're full sir", the receptionist believed in tact above all else unlike some of his fellow guest greeters, who would have said something far less elegant in his position and would have received a lot of pain for their snide behaviour.

"Do you know who I am?", Koichi questioned, trying to look important as he drew himself up to his full height, "I am the Lord of the _Oni's Bane shooo-sh-shooo_… the Lord, you hear me".

"I do not doubt that sir", he almost wilted with relief seeing the two large men who worked the security detail walking over.

"Is something the matter here?", one of them asked, his face set in stone as he carefully surveyed the group, assessing each one.

Luckily he was saved from finding out just how badly he had underestimated the young man in front of him when Haitani called out from the entrance that they were leaving to find somewhere else.

The receptionist bid them all a goodnight as they shuffled out, assuring the guards that everything was fine and they could return to their regular duties.

He settled back behind his desk, his eyes drifting over an empty spot on in one of the alcoves lining the hallway.

He frowned, leaning forward. He was sure that there had been a vase there a few moments ago…

His eyes went wide.

"Security! Thieves!".

* * *

Koichi lay his head panting on the table of the small bar they found themselves in after being chased by the two burly guards from the Bella Donna. 

Shortly after getting out of the building he had noticed the vase Mutsumi was holding, but hadn't been able to question her before the hulking men came out and gave chase.

They had lost them eventually and ended up here, wherever here was.

Apparently Mutsumi had thought the vase was pretty and Haitani had presented it to her as a gift, all of which left them in an awkward situation, hiding from the authorities in a bar.

Now that he was beginning to sober up a little Koichi cringed as he thought back to the number of stupid things they had done so far.

They had caused a car accident, Mutsumi had drunk the first bar dry, they had crashed an exclusive restaurant, and now they could add theft to the list.

He whined into his arms inaudibly, who knew how long they would have to stay here, and how would he explain it if anyone had seen them at the scene off the accident and linked their faces to those of the vase thieves.

He could picture Motoko's face as he turned up at the Hinata Sou handcuffed.

He looked around. No one else seemed to be having any second thoughts about the evening. Haitani was attempting to out drink Mutsumi, something he should have realised was futile, but it was undoubtly part of the plan Koichi vaguely remembered being described to him by the sniggering older man to seduce her.

Seta was reciting one of his tales to the traffic cone, Shirai was out cold, and Keitaro was asleep, his head pillowed on Kino's lap as the blond boy peered down at him with disturbing tenderness.

Now that he was more or less in command of his faculties again, Koichi wondered about this strange boy who had been included in their little group because he had helped Haitani and Shirai locate a number of the places they had originally intended to hit.

He hadn't really given it much thought at the time, but the blond had unusually feminine features for a man.

Koichi peered closer. Was his one cheek…sagging?

_I'm not drunk enough for this_, Koichi thought, massaging his temple.

"Freeze, Police!"

Koichi spun where he sat, his shock evident on his face as the uniformed men began piling into the room, guns held at the ready.

_All this just to catch a few thieves?_, Koichi thought disbelievingly as more men continued to enter.

Unbeknownst to him, the ID's of the car crash suspects had been cross-referenced as a matter of standard procedure, and had matched with a number of outstanding warrants for counts of dangerously reckless driving, property damage, and an unexplained incident of suspected terrorism.

Jolted awake by the shout, Keitaro leapt to his feet, toppling as the blood rushed to his head.

Kino reached out to save him as he fell, Keitaro grabbing the boy's shirt as he went and pulling so hard it ripped.

In the tangled events that happened next, Koichi was only vaguely aware of the blond wig that landed in his lap, or the mask that ended up in Mutsumi's pitcher. His eyes were on the two people before him.

Lying atop the once more unconscious Keitaro, her disguise ruined and now topless, was a blushing Kanako.

The only sound to pierce the sudden silence was Mutsumi's gasp as she saw the position of the siblings.

Keitaro came around, his eyes fastening on his adopted sister's bare chest and slowly going up to her face, his own going from one of confusion to shock, to panic as he looked over and saw the police officers standing near the entrance.

Koichi could never figure out what made him say what he did next.

"It's not what it looks like I swear! She's my sister!".

Koichi could only stare. Just what had made the older, and supposedly wiser man say something like that as if it made the whole situation ok?

Apparently a number of the officers agreed with Koichi's unspoken sentiments as they cast questioning looks amongst each other.

Suddenly on of them gasped as he got a good look at Kanako's face, his eyes bulging in his head as he backed against the far wall.

"Y-you! It's her, it's really her!", a number of the other men looked confused, while others began to express the same reaction.

"The girl from the terrorist incident!", another gasped, leaving Koichi even more confused as these hardened officers of the law began fighting one another to escape the building, babbling about 'twin demons' and 'glowing hands'.

Soon they were all alone once more.

"…What…the…hell?", Koichi looked around for answers but found none forthcoming beyond a philosophical shrug from Seta who proceeded to launch back into his story.

"Found em, found em!", he couldn't believe this, the police had been bad enough, but not this.

He smiled weakly as a new squad filtered in. The Hinata House search party.

Haruka surveyed the damage to the establishment with a raised eyebrow, before turning to her husband, "Only light property damage? You're slacking in your old age".

Koichi carefully hid Mutsumi's vase under the table.

"But I know you did something", she said cracking her knuckles, "There's a small riot squad heading this way".

"All an innocent misunderstanding", Seta reassured his spouse, the traffic cone having vanished as well.

"Where is he", a voice demanded from the back of the group as Naru stalked into view, "and more importantly, where is…".

She trailed off as she caught sight of Kanako and Keitaro, the former still topless and straddling the later.

"Wait, Naru, I can explain!", was all the former ronin had time for before being launched through the roof of the bar.

Koichi hadn't known it was possible for the human body to get such impressive air.

He chuckled a little as this started another shouting match between Naru and Kanako. It seemed to be the focus of everyone's attention, so if he could just slip away quietly…

A dark shadow fell over his seat.

"Eep…Hey Motoko-chan, nice night isn't it?".

* * *

---Author's Note---

Hey folks, just the last chapter to go and I'll have finished all of this arc of the Blademaster's series. Next chapter is the final third of the wedding scene, so say tuned.

Just a few things to say about this chapter, firstly ahem... YAY MU-CHAN! hehe, I've been waiting a long time to include possibly my favourite character. You might have thought that position taken by Motoko considering the genral theme of these stories but it's Mutsumi in first place followed closely by Motoko/Shinobu in joint second.

Kanako also a favourite incidentally though it didn't really show in this fic.

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


	3. Finale: The Vows

**A/N**: You know, reading another story, there was an idea that intrigued me. The author allowed himself to be interviewed by one of his more frequent reviewers, posting said interview as bonus material at the end. Anyone think that would be a good idea for this series? PM me if anyone is interested.

Finale: The Vows

"Big day, you ready for this?", Seta asked teasingly from where he stood next to Koichi, grinning as the younger man fiddled with his formal black robes.

Up by the small alter that sat on a raised dais at the head of the growing crowd, Koichi uttered a weak laugh and did is best to strike a nonchalant pose.

"Sure, no sweat", he said, wishing that were true as the material of his robes had begun to stick to his back.

"Don't worry about it my boy", Seta advised, giving him a friendly pat on the back, "Everything will be fine, trust me, married life can be a lot of fun".

Koichi watched the older man's fond gaze shift out over the crowd, locating his wife and adopted daughter sitting impatiently in the formal wear neither of them seemed to like much.

"I'll keep it in mind", Koichi promised, offering his new friend a small bow as thanks for the words of support.

"Have either of you seen Keitaro?", both men looked down surprised. Naru was standing at the foot of the altar looking back and forth with something between anger and worry.

She still had yet to locate Keitaro, and her annoyance at him and his avoidance of her after the 'incident', had begun to subside as her insecurities ran rampant, taunting the brown haired woman with possibilities that involved a laughing Keitaro running off with Kanako into the sunset.

Koichi opened his mouth but Seta spoke first, "I'm sorry Naru, I haven't seen him".

"Oh…ok", she looked down at her feet, missing the sidelong glance Koichi gave the older man, "If you see him before me, tell him…tell him I'm sorry, ok?".

"Of course, now why don't you go take a seat, hmm?", Seta gently prompted, waiting until she was gone to speak again, "You get all that part-timer?".

"Yeah", Keitaro's voice echoed softly as he carefully poked his head out from behind the broader man.

"She sounds pretty upset, I think now would be a good time to go make up with her. I'm fairly sure all has been forgiven", Koichi wondered just how a man that did such stupid things at times could sound so wise and benevolent.

"Yeah…Good luck Koichi", with that Keitaro vanished amongst the guests on his hands and knees, something that would have been comical had it not occurred more times than Koichi could count.

"I best be on my way as well", Seta announced, resting his hands casually in his pockets, and nodding to the younger man as he went to find his seat.

From his vantage point, Koichi looked out over the crowd, lingering on all the faces of the people he knew from his Clan, and lastly on those most important to him. Seta and Haruka sat on either side of Su and Sara, the blond duo looking like the incarnation of mischief as they chuckled over something Su had produced from a hidden pocket of her Kimono.

Without looking Haruka snagged the small machine and tossed it over her shoulder. A few seconds later the guests gasped collectively as a small detonation rocked the room.

Koichi just smiled as Su looked at him sheepishly.

Next his gaze found Keitaro and Naru, the latter hitting the former's chest while crying on his shoulder, the older man looked up and gave him a sickly grin.

On the far side of the room was Kitsune and Kentaro, the fox girl receiving disapproving stares from a few of the female members of his clan as she sat with her legs draped over her boyfriend as she absently played with his tie.

She gave him a wink had had some of the stares directed at her turned his way inquiringly.

In front of her sat Kyoko and Shinobu, hands clasped gently at there sides. Shinobu smiled reassuringly while Kyoko gave him a sitting bow and surprised him by offering one of her oh so rare genuine smiles, to which he responded with his own lopsided grin.

Right at the back sat his ushers, Mutsumi flanked by Haitani and Shirai.

Shirai nodded weakly, while Mutsumi waved enthusiastically and Haitani gave him a thumbs up from a pose that made him look like he was lounging in his seat with his arm around the Okinawain woman.

Everyone was here; he had even spotted Tsuruko and her husband somewhere on the other side of the room talking quietly to each other as if reminiscing.

Kanako for better or worse was not present, having been called away by her grandmother, but she had promised to drop by the reception afterwards if she could. He was still trying to convince her to take up a teaching position in hand-to-hand at the _Oni's Bane_ school after hearing the details of her fights with Motoko.

His head came round as he heard the doors at the far end of the room creak open, and an expectant hush fell over the crowd.

His breath froze in his chest as Motoko stepped through, garbed in the purest white kimono he had ever seen, a small silken veil draped loosely over her head and shoulders as she approached the dais at a steady pace, her eyes lowered.

Koichi was only dimly aware of the Shinto priest moving into his position behind him, checking the pillows on which they would both kneel to recite their vows.

His eyes never left Motoko, her pale skin seeming to blend with and shine in time with the kimono she wore until it seemed that all that was approaching was an figure of ethereal beauty, with two dark eyes framed by soft ebony waves.

She reached the platform, taking the stairs at the same measured gait before standing directly opposite him.

Koichi let the priest guide them to their places so that they knelt facing one another, as he led them through there vows, before offering each one a small ceramic dish to our out a measure of sake for the other to drink, completing the ceremony.

If anyone had been listening closely enough amongst the applause that followed, they might have heard what the two newlyweds whispered to one another as the crowd cheered.

"Promise kept Motoko-chan"

"Promise kept Koi-kun"

* * *

Love has been said to be many things; a trial, an adventure, a gift, a blessing, a curse. Tears, laughter, brightest joy, darkest sorrow. 

All these things and more, above all it is a promise. Once that promise is fulfilled…the rest of the story is up to you…

* * *

---Author's Note--- 

Yes my friends, sadly our journey together is over at last, I will miss sharing with you all the tales of Koichi, Motoko and the rest of the gang, but all good stories must come to an end eventually.

But fear not, on the horizon a new day is dawning, and a new generation awaits the chance to recite their story.** Coming Soon**: Love Hina: Children of Ice and Fire; 18 years after the marriage of Koichi and Motoko a young man arrives on the steps of the Hinata Sou in search of a legendary blade, the _Sword of Two Souls_…

Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell


End file.
